15 August,2024 07:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Prajakta Kasale
Potholes outside Dadar station last month. Pic/Shadab Khan
OF the over 16,000 potholes reported with the BMC this monsoon, 42 per cent were on both highways alone, the Western Express Highway (WEH) and Eastern Express Highway (EEH). The BMC is on its toes to fill up potholes, as large Ganesh idols have started moving to their respective pandals. BMC officials had assured Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandals at a meeting last week that the potholes would be filled by August 18.
As per BMC's official figures, there were 16,145 potholes till August 13, most of which were in Andheri, Mahim, Malad, Ghatkopar, Byculla, Mankhurd and Kurla. In addition, the WEH had 3,386 and EEH had 3,400.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) handed over control of two major arterial roads--WEH and EEH--to the BMC. The handover took place after the then BMC commissioner, Iqbal Singh Chahal, urged the Bombay High Court (HC) in September 2022 to make BMC the sole planning authority for all roads in the city. The EEH is 23.55 km long from Mulund to Sion. The WEH, stretching from the suburb of Dahisar to Bandra is 25.33 km.
The Ganeshotsav will start from September 7, but the large idols have already started moving to pandals for decoration. By this weekend most of the mandals will start bringing their idols. Potholes remain the big concern like every year and though the BMC claimed that there are very few potholes now, the coordination committee, in a meeting held on August 6, already expressed worry regarding the uneven patches.
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Suresh Sarnobat, secretary of Akhil Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mahasangh, said, "We've been requesting the BMC for many weeks to fill up potholes. But the situation hasn't improved. Bumpy roads, caused by incorrect filling of potholes, also creates issues. Now, CM Eknath Shinde has instructed the corporation to fill up potholes."
A BMC official said that the engineers are already instructed to fill up potholes on priority especially on roads where idols travel. As there aren't that many showers any longer, it will be easy for us to fill up potholes.
Potholes 16,145
WEH 3,386
EEH 3,400
